Dream a Little Dream
by K-Zittles
Summary: "And just when I thought this place couldn't get any better, now there's a murderer on the loose..." Rocket folded his arms. "I am Groot." "...Fine. I'm a little excited now, happy?" 'Besides,' Rocket thought, 'It's just one kid. What's the worse that could happen'
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! I'm kartoonfreek and this is my first GOTG fanfic! I've had this idea in my head for a while and figured "Why not?" I really hope that this idea hasn't already been used (I don't check). Soooooo... just a quick note; I would really like some feedback on this story and how I can improve my writing and such. I'm only a Freshman in High School so if my story-telling isn't the best then you know why, I'm still learning. Yep. That's about it. Just to recap: Freshman who is still trying to master free-write, I would appreciate critiquing, and... well... enjoy! **

Rumors of a murderer had begun to panic the inhabitants of Catcher. Two people in the little town had been found with their throats slit that morning; Mr. and Mrs. Asher. No one in the quiet town had any idea why someone would want to kill them, they were very polite and didn't bother anyone in the town or anywhere else on Somnium. The head official of the town's authorities had been sent by the mayor to check on the people and find witnesses, trying everything to figure out who or what killed the couple.

"Are you sure you didn't see what happened? No clue of who might've done this?" Captain Night folded his arms as he watched the Asher's neighbor, Fl'mor, fidget with his long, gnarly hands. The suspect's small, thin body was very tense as he tried his best to explain to the Captain that no, he did not see what happened to the Ashers.

Fl'mor swallowed the giant lump in his throat, "Oh, the poor Ashers." He began fiddling with his white hair, intense brown eyes not focusing on the Captain, "What a lovely couple they were. Always so kind and gracious. Never caused any trouble-"

Captain Night put a strong, calloused hand on the older man's shoulder. "I know. They were great people," He released the man's shoulder and put that hand on his own hip. He could see that he might not get anywhere with Fl'mor. The man wasn't exactly the greatest at remembering details. He sighed, "Well, if you think of anything, you know where to find me." He nodded to the man before turning around to go back to check on the other neighbors.

"W-wait!" Night looked back at Fl'mor. "Have you found their daughter?"

A knot of worry filled the Captain's stomach. "Daughter?"

The man nodded, "She's been missing for five days."

…. Three Days Later

It had been three months since the defeat of Ronan and so far everywhere the Guardians went was because Peter wanted to show them 'cool' things around the quadrant. Mostly those "things" were bars that after a few drinks they would high-tail it out as soon as possible. Now, Peter decided that they would go to a place "less likely to get them arrested."

Rocket Raccoon huffed in annoyance, "Why are we here again?" He folded his fury arms as he looked at Peter who was busy landing the Milano onto Somnium soil.

The self-proclaimed Star-Lord looked over at the gun-happy raccoon with a big grin on his face. "Because of the annual Dream Festival! Duh!" Peter hopped out of his seat and started down into the common room. Rocket followed close behind, shaking his head at Peter's giddiness. "The Ravagers and I used to make stops here once in a while to see if we could get good…. deals."

'Yeah,' Rocket thought. 'I'm sure the deals came real "cheap".' They probably stole from a whole bunch of bystanders. Not that Rocket did any better. He probably would do the same.

"What is this Dream Festival that you speak of, Quill?" Rocket looked over at Drax who stood by the table in the common area, his knives already in his holsters ready to go.

"Well," the Half-Terran began, "Every year the people on this dinky planet have a cool festival that by the end of the week no one can remember." He slung his knapsack (Rocket still thought it was more of a purse than anything else) over his shoulder. "And there's also a bunch of awesome, magical storytelling that everyone buys into."

"Of course that's all you would remember, Peter." The group of men looked up as Gamora and Groot walked into the room.

"Well, it's not the **only** thing I remember." Peter sighed dejectedly.

Gamora rolled her eyes. "The Dream Festival is part of a Somnium holiday," while she explained, the Guardians started out the Milano's exit, stepping into a clearing that was just big enough for the Milano to fit in. They were greeted by a green forest, blue sky, and two-yellow suns shining down on them.

Rocket could instantly tell that the air was clean. No pollution or alien chemicals invading the air. A slight breeze tickled his furry face. He looked over at Groot, the tree-man (who was now fully grown again) was smiling. Of course a place like this would make Groot happy. It kind of made Rocket feel…. peaceful. Which was new considering he never actually felt peace before. He snapped out of his daze when he heard Gamora talking again.

"The Somniums have a special lunar cycle. Because they have two moons, they celebrate when the two cross paths."

"This way, guys!" Peter led the group through the field and into the dense forest as she explained.

"For three days, the Somniums give a sort of-" she stepped onto a log.

"Offering?" Peter held out his hand for her to take.

She smirked, "In a matter of speaking, yes." She took his hand and stepped down. They let go before continuing on their way. "You see, the Somniums have magical abilities of creating illusions. On the first day of the annual lunar cycle, they hold a festival celebrating a good year. In which they tell stories and-"

"Get drunk! And have killer parties!" Peter butted in.

Drax looked up in concern. "Why would they have parties that kill? I thought they were celebrating for good?" At this, Rocket snorted in amusement.

Peter sighed, "Metaphor."

"Anyway," Gamora continued, "After the first night, the second night is when they make preparations for the third night. The third night is when the two moons actually are in alignment. Then the third and final night is when the people of Somnium go into a _dream state_, as they call it, and "cleanse and enlighten" themselves for a new year." Gamora finished as she and the others ducked under a branch.

"How do you know so much about this festival?" Drax inquired, lifting a branch from smacking him on the head.

Rocket watched as Gamora stiffened, "That is on a need to know basis." Rocket shook his head. If there was one person besides himself that had trouble opening up; it would be Gamora.

They walked through the forest in silence, avoiding getting smacked in the face by tree branches. At least twice Rocket had to get Groot as he would walk up to a tree and place his hand on it. After a while of the pregnant silence, Quill started humming.

A few minutes of this noise before Rocket asked, "What're you humming?" as he fell in step with the Terran.

Peter stopped humming to answer. "It's called _"Follow the Yellow Brick Road"_. It's from _"The Wizard of Oz"_, a Terran classic." he continued humming.

"What's this _"Wizard of Oz"_ about?" Gamora asked, walking on Peter's left. Peter seemed to puff in pride at the question.

"Well, this girl named Dorothy gets sucked into a tornado and-" Rocket toned out Peter's explanation. Instead he listened to the sound around them.

Rocket could hear birds (or things that sounded like birds) chirping in the trees above them. The leaves rustled in the gentle caress of the wind. A little way off he could also hear a waterfall. Didn't sound very big. He looked to his right in the direction of where the sound was coming from. Though instead of seeing more green brush, he saw a giant walking tree. "Ugh." He sighed. "Groot! Get back here!"

He walked over to where the talking tree was heading and stopped in front of him. "Groot, c'mon. The town's the other way," he pointed to where the others had stopped on the cluttered trail.

"I am Groot," Groot pointed to the direction of the waterfall.

"I know, buddy. I hear it, too. We'll check it out when we come back. Deal?" Groot frowned before nodding and heading back to Peter, Drax, and Gamora. Rocket shook his head.

'The idiot gets excited over every little thing,' he thought. He started walking towards the others when he caught a whiff of something. Something…. not quite right. The scent was sweet, like a fruit. He sniffed again. Rocket vaguely remembered this scent. Quill had bought a bunch of them at a market on a nearby planet. He said that they were called "peaches"; a fruit on his planet. "Peaches?" he muttered. Rocket turned looked over his shoulder at the direction of the water rushing. "What the hell?" Why would he be smelling peaches in the middle of a freakin' alien forest?

"Hey, Rocket!" The Raccoon snapped his head in the direction of Peter's voice. "You comin' buddy? Or are you just gonna stand there like the Tin Man?" the others gave him confused looks. Peter sighed before waving nonchalantly. "I'll explain _him_ in a minute."

Rocket nodded, "Yeah, yeah! I'm comin'! Just go on 'head." The rest of the Guardians continued down the path. With one last glance behind him, Rocket rushed to keep up with the others. The scent still hanging in the air.

….

Deeper in the forest, two figures stood on top or the highest branch of a tree overlooking where the Guardians were trekking. "That was a close one," a silky voice said. "If that _rodent_ had gotten any closer-"

A deeper voice interrupted, "Yes, that was close. It would have been a shame to… _eliminate _such interesting specimens. After all, they just barely got here." The voice chuckled. "Still, we must be careful of these five. If memory serves correct, they are the newly found _Guardians of the Galaxy_."

"So?" The other snapped. "They are nothing but bugs waiting to be squashed. They will be easy to kill. Just like those two other vermin were."

"Do not underestimate them. They defeated Ronan. I will not have them ruin this chance." The figure jumped down onto the next lower branch, "Do not interfere with them. Keep according to plan. The time is drawing nearer. You will keep an eye on our…. _guest_ until the time is right." The companion jumped down onto the same branch. Both figures smiled at each other. "Be ready. The town will soon be gathering. The Lunar Cycle will soon start."

The softer voice chuckled, "_This_ is going to be fun."

**A/N: Alright! So that was the first chapter! Sorry if it wasn't too detailed and felt rushed. I'm still getting used to free-writing (I'm used to assignments in school). Again, please review! I would like to improve on my writing and all the reviews would help. 'Til next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello fellow readers! Sorry for the delay, school's been kind of a hassle lately. There is something I forgot to mention. This story was inspired by Supernatural, Teen Titans (I won't say which episodes for spoiler purposes), and my own story that I'm trying to create! So yeah, if anything in this seems familiar it's due to those episodes. Again, not going to say which episodes until the time comes so I won't spoil what happens. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Guardians of the Galaxy. I only own my original characters.**

If there was one phrase to describe what Rocket saw, it would simply be "What the hell?"

The Guardians (after listening to Quill explain the plot of _The Wizard of Oz _for the past hour) had just walked out of the forest into what looked like a renaissance market. Up and down a cobbled street were different booths. Some for slimey-looking food that made Rocket want to give his lunch up, others for jewelry and clothing, and a few had dusty books. Aliens of all sorts of colors cluttered the street while merchants shouted at them to buy their products.

The group moved from out of the trees and looked out at the market from behind a booth that had parchment and feathered pens. "Wow," Gamora breathed. "It's different than I imagined."

Rocket had to agree. From what Quill had been saying about festivals on Terra, the raccoon was expecting something similar. A giant - what had Peter called it? Ferris Wheel? Yeah. That sounded right. Maybe a few of those "roll coasters".

But this was definitely _different._ Even though Rocket himself had been around the galaxy, he felt slightly _unnerved _by the new environment. Rocket looked over at Quill to see a giant grin cross the Terran's features.

Peter inhaled deeply. "I know, right? It's pretty cool." he moved in between the small space between their booth and another that had all sorts of gems. He gestured for them to follow. "Come on, guys!" Peter moved out of the space into the street, stopping to wait for his comrades. The others exchanged looks before following suit. Gamora first, then Drax, then Groot who was followed shortly by Rocket. "Guys," Peter began, "Welcome to Catcher!"

They were in the middle of a pathway that, when looking directly in front of where they had come, was behind a bunch of buildings. Old, cobble-stone buildings that were more than likely houses for the inhabitants. The one thing that didn't surprise Rocket at this point were what the people were wearing. Everywhere that he looked, he could see some form of formal wear. The women wore long dresses that were different colors. Reds, greens, blues; you name it, they wore it. Same for the men. Collared shirts with trousers but each a different (and each passing a more bizarre) color.

As Rocket looked them up and down he noticed that they all wore either flat shoes or black boots. "Weirdos," He looked at his friends who all, except Quill, looked perplexed at all the ancient wear. Rocket watched as a little girl of about five years of age pulled on her mother's purple dress, trying to get her attention to move to a booth with wooden carvings and dolls. It was then he noticed that the girl had pointed ears poking out of her long blonde - no. _Blue _and blonde hair. Looking up at the mother, Rocket raised a brow as he saw that the mother had blue and blonde hair as well. The under-side of her head and her bangs (creating a shadow look) were dark blue. The little girl's were the same style but light blue.

Peter clapped his hands together. "Well? Should we look around for a bit?"

Gamora nodded while Drax grunted, "Certainly. This place is getting more crowded the longer we stand here." With that, they began walking with the crowd of colorful Somniums. The Guardians passed booths with food (most smelled funny), clothes (all of them were too colorful), jewelry (Rocket was certain most were fake), and books (they made Groot sneeze because of the dust, which startled a few locals).

Rocket sighed. Truth be told he didn't want to be here. He was glad that Quill seemed to be having fun. Seriously, he had on the biggest grin from explaining the times he and the Ravagers where on this planet. But Rocket didn't see what the fuss was about. Just a bunch of people celebrating their holiday.

The raccoon watched as a whole bunch of aliens walked along and talked to merchants. He noticed that all of them seemed to have the same different two-hair-color thing like the mother and child. All in the same area too. The men had the bottom half of their hair and under-bangs an absurd color. The color led to the pointed ears that the people had. What was weirder were the fact that all the clothes matched what the color of their "individual" hair colors were. "Hmm.." Rocket mused. "Strange planet."

"I am Groot?" Rocket looked up at Groot.

"Huh? Oh," Rocket waved nonchalantly. "Nothin'. Jus' talkin' to m'self."

The Guardians made their way along the path before Peter turned down a corner at his right. When the others turned as well, they were greeted by a large road with giant buildings on each side. More and more booths lined the sides of the streets with tons of Somniums moving back and forth between booths and buildings.

They continued walking on for what seemed like forever. Stopping at a few booths along the path. Drax stopped the group to look at knives and other armory. They didn't spend a lot of time there however, as soon as the merchant started talking Quill knew the deals he would make would turn sour.

Gamora stopped a few times to look at cloaks. Rocket thought they were a bit on the showy side but hey, whatever floats her boat. But apparently Gamora was on the same train of thought because they continued on a short time after.

Groot poked Rocket on the shoulder. The raccoon looked up at the tall tree, who pointed over to a nearby booth. Rocket looked over at the booth and sighed. "Quill," He looked ahead at the Terran who was talking with a salesperson about an antique sword. "Quill!"

Peter looked over at Rocket in question, "Yeah?"

Rocket pointed over to the booth that Groot wanted to go to. "Me 'n Groot are gonna be over there for a bit." Peter nodded before going back to his conversation. Rocket sighed, leading Groot over to the booth. "Alright, buddy. What is it you want to look at?" He stopped in front of the table, pointedly ignoring the stares he was getting from the merchant and other bystanders.

Groot smiled down at his friend before continuing to look over the products displayed out on the table. He looked down at the merchant, "I am Groot?"

The merchant raised his white eyebrows and looked back and forth between the tree and the raccoon. "I…. um…." Rocket chuckled lightly before answering the man's obvious perplexity.

"He asked if he could pick up yer merchandise."

"Oh! Yes! Of course, go right ahead… sir." the man's awkward reply made a smile spread on Groot's face. The tree-man picked up a weird object. Rocket never actually saw what Groot wanted to look at, now he was intrigued when whatever Groot had in his large hands had something dangling from it. Rocket looked over at the table and reached out (the booth was hardly any taller than he was) and picked up the first thing he felt.

The object in his hand was strange. It had a ring about the size of his paw that was gray. The inside was intertwined with white and black string creating a star pattern in the middle of the network. "What is this?" He asked the merchant.

The merchant smiled, "That," He pointed to the thing Rocket was holding, "Is a Spirit Catcher. The symbol of our people. It contains the soul of the individual who possesses it."

Rocket quirked his brow and gave the man a look that said _you're kidding me, right? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. _

The merchant held up his hands, "It's true! By the time our people become of age, our souls are put into a Spirit Catcher. And you, my friend and-" He looked up at Groot, "Very _large_friend, can have one for yourselves." He leaned onto the table to get a better look at Rocket. "For the right price, of course," His gray eyes twinkled with delight.

Before Rocket could reply to the obvious scam, a new voice cut in, "Nobody would want to buy your _fake_ Spirit Catchers, Adrian." Rocket turned around to see a tall, muscular, dark-skinned man giving a slight smirk to the older guy, "You know it's illegal to give false information to people."

The older man snorted, "False information, Captain? I was only explaining the history of the Catchers."

"Uh-huh. I see," The "Captain" folded his arms in mock-understanding. He looked down at Rocket then up at Groot. "My guess is that you and your friend are here for the Dream Festival?"

Rocket folded his arms as well, being careful of the object he was still holding, "Yeah. What's it to you?" Rocket looked the taller man up and down.

His ears were as pointed as anyone else's, his dark green, collared-shirt was the same color as the part of his hair that was a different color than his black hair on top his head. His brown trousers were tucked into his black boots, and around his waist was a sword sheathed at his side. But what caught Rocket's attention was the Spirit Catcher around the man's neck with a silver chain. Unlike the one Rocket was holding, this one had a dark green ring.

The man chuckled, "I do not mean disrespect. We do not get a lot of visitors from other planets." He bowed in respect, "Welcome to Somnium."

Rocket unfolded his arms. That was definitely new. Usually people who didn't know who he was assumed he was bad news. "Oh... Uh. Thanks, I guess," Rocket scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He looked over at Groot. Both of them placed the objects they were holding back onto the booth as the man straightened up.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"NIGHT!" The three beings looked over to the source of the shout. The three other Guardians; Drax, Gamora, and Peter, who walked away from the merchant he was previously engaged in conversation with his mouth agape at the rejection of the sword, made their way over. The Half-Terran grinned as he clapped Captain Night on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, man! How's it been?"

Night chuckled as he lifted Peter's hand off of his shoulder, "Peter Quill. A pleasure to see your face again."

"Yeah, well, it's great to be here again," He glanced over at his friends. "Guys, this is Captain Night. He arrested me for theft a few years back."

Captain Night nodded his head, "I'm guessing you are the famous _Guardians of the Galaxy_?"

"You have heard of us here?" Gamora quirked an eyebrow.

Night smiled, "We may not be as technologically ahead as other sister planets. But news does get around. Thank you, for saving the galaxy from Ronan." The Guardians nodded in response.

"Hey Night," Peter spoke up, "Is that pub still open? You know, the one with the crazy old guy?"

The Captain laughed, "Fl'mor's place? Yes, it is still open. Though I do not think he will be up for talking with anyone. Not after-" He stopped himself short. His piercing green eyes uncertain.

This got Rocket's attention as his ears perked up, "'Not after' what?" He pressed.

Night sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "It is nothing. Just some...difficulties in town lately."

"Anything we can help with?" Drax cut in.

The Somnium shook his head, "I'm afraid that our chief is not taking outside help."

Peter swung his arm over the Captain's shoulder, "C'mon man. What is it? Let us help."

Before he could reply, three officers (all dressed in the same apparel but with red, blue, and light green scheme) approached the Captain. The Captain removed Quill's arm from his shoulders and straightened his posture.

"Sir," The blue one spoke up, "The Chief needs to speak with you."

"Is it about-?"

"Yes, sir."

Rocket noticed Night tense at these words, "Damn." He looked over at the Guardians and sighed. He looked back at the three officers before him, "Hiker, Drez, Lucius... Tell Chief I'm on my way." The three nodded before turning back the way they came, making their way through the crowded streets of Catcher.

Gamora stepped in front of Night, "What is happening here, Captain?"

He looked at every single Guardian. A few moments of silence passed before he answered, "Look, I do not want to get you five into trouble-"

"We won't get into trouble!" Peter protested. "Look, Night, we just want to help out," He pleaded.

Night held up his hand to silence the Terran. Rocket chuckled at this. If only he knew it was that easy to get Quill to shut up. "As I was saying," He put both his hands behind his back, "I don't want to get you into trouble _but_, I might be able to convince the Chief to let you Guardians of the Galaxy help us with our...dilemma." He gave them a polite smile, "Will that suffice?"

Rocket looked up at his compatriots. Each of them sharing a look of agreement. 'Oh great,' Rocket thought, 'Now we're on stand by for something we have no idea what to expect.'

Rocket watched as Peter held out his hand and shook the Captain's, "You got yourself a deal!"

The Captain nodded, "Thank you. I will have one of my men inform you by night fall. Enjoy your stay." And with that, he walked away.

After a few seconds of standing and watching the figure walk away, Peter turned to his friends and clapped his hands, "So! Who's hungry?"

**A/N: Ta-Da! There's the second chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it and I hope it was easy to follow. The third chapter might come either next week or during my Spring Break. Which is starting the second week of April. So, in closing I would like to say please review! And have a nice day/night! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Just a head's up, my account name is K-Zittles now instead of "kartoonfreek". Holy crow I hadn't realized how long it's been since I've last updated on... well everything! I've been so busy these last few years, I've moved around constantly and have had school to deal with. Geez I'm sorry to everyone who has been waiting for updates! My plan to get back into the game is to go over everything I've written and see if I can or cannot finish them. I'm starting with this one first since it was the last thing I was able to work on. I'll try to get it finished and at least try to update once a month. At least that is my goal. Please excuse my writing as I am a little rusty. Without further ado! The next chapter in 'Dream a Little Dream'.**

The Guardians made their way through the crowded streets. Peter led them further into town, passing houses and business buildings that were blocked by the booths. At one point, they came to the town square that was mostly cleared of pedestrians. A few were convening at a fountain.

"No," Rocket looked up at Groot, who was staring at the fountain with a big grin on his face.

"I am Groot," He said with a dejected look.

"Don't give me that! I know what yer thinkin'!" The raccoon folded his arms as he and Groot continued to follow Quill. The group followed Quill into an Alley before stopping at a little tavern that seemed to be the only thing on the street not decorated in Lunar-goodness and confetti.

"Here we are! Old man Fl'mor's Tavern!"

Rocket looked around the alleyway. The bar was located in between two other buildings that connected; a bookstore and what seemed to be a potions shop. The alley around them seemed to be less filled with life despite the glamour decorating it.

Peter walked up to the beaten door and opened it up for them to enter,a small bell was heard as the door swung open. The self-proclaimed Star-Lord locked eyes with Gamora. "After you," He said with a polite bow. Gamora rolled her eyes, but a slight smile took her features as she entered the tavern, the other companions close behind her.

The team was greeted first by a wooden bar, near the walls and around the room were wooden tables to match. Considering it was only noon, the tavern wasn't much occupied except for three men and an old bartender. Rocket watched as the bartender looked up from cleaning a shot glass, his hazel eyes widening when he spotted the Guardians. When his eyes landed on Peter, he smiled.

"Peter Quill!" The man set down the glass.

Rocket looked up at his companions. Peter smiled at the recognition and waved,, "Hey Fl'mor! How's business?" He walked over to the bar and shook hands with the weary-looking man, Fl'mor. Rocket thought for sure that the man's arm would fall off, his entire frame looked small and withered. His gray collared shirt hung loosely on his figure and flapped as Peter shook his hand.

"It has been the same since you last left. Still get the occasional bar fights," Fl'mor released his grip, allowing Peter to set his elbows onto the table while the older man picked up the glass and continued cleaning it. As he cleaned, Fl'mor's eyes flickered over to Peter's friends. His intense hazel eyes sent a chill down Rocket's back. The man looked like he was boring into Rocket's soul. _Creep, _He thought. Rocket eyed the hazel-ringed Spirit Net that hung on a chain on the man's chest. The words of the merchant at the market played through Rocket's mind.

_It contains the soul of the individual who possesses_ _it. _What a weird concept to grasp.

Fl'mor gestured towards the group. "I see _you_ have changed though, Quill. I presume this is the rest of the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy?"

Peter pushed himself off the bar and turned towards his friends, "Indeed they are!" He took a step next to Gamora and slung his arm over her shoulders. "Fl'mor I'd like to introduce you to my friends! Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket!" As he said their names, he pointed each of them out.

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Greetings."

"I am Groot."

"Hi."

Fl'mor chuckled, "Well in all my life, I have never seen such an odder group than this." His smile made the wrinkles under his eyes crinkle in merriment. "Please," He waved to the stools as the Guardians sat down, "May I fix you a drink?"

Gamora smiled politely at the old Somnium before looking towards the Terran. "What would you suggest, Peter? After all this was your idea."

Peter tapped his chin and hummed in thought, "Do you got anything special from Terra?"

Fl'mor rubbed his chin in idle thought. "You know what," He said, snapping his fingers, "I do believe we got a special order of peaches in this time around."

Rocket ears perked up at hearing this statement, "Peaches?"

Fl'mor looked at the raccoon and grinned, "Yes. Our people get an annual supply of Terran fruits from a cargo ship. We got our supply roughly five days ago. Somniums love Terran fruit. They have a certain sweetness to them that make our taste buds dance. I, myself, make a different ale every year using my own supply of fruits. Would you like to try some?"

The Terran looked down the bar at the Guardians, "What do you think guys?" Gamora, Drax, and Groot agreed. Rocket however, was lost in thought. Peaches? He had smelt those in the forest. He supposed it would make sense. Maybe someone had been there before they had. "Rocket?" He snapped his head in the direction of the voice.

"Huh?" He stared at the faces of his comrades in confusion. Peter smiled gently.

"The peach ale. Is that alright with you?" Rocket nodded indifferently.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Peter's smile widened.

"Alright Fl'mor!" Peter reached in his pocket and pulled out a few coins, placing them on the table. "Lay it on us!" The man obliged and filled five glasses to the brim, handing each to the Guardians. Rocket peared into his glass suspiciously before taking a gulp.

The drinks had an interesting taste to them. Sweet but at the same time they had a swing to them. It was actually one of the better drinks that Rocket had had in the terrapin finished off his drink, Fl'mor and Peter talked about what they had been doing since they last meet. At one point, Fl'mor started asking the others about their interests and how they all had met.

Of course, _Star-Lord_ had to go and make it sound more dramatic than it actually was; but, Gamora and Drax would cut in and tell how it actually went down. Even though the conversation was going well, Rocket couldn't shake the feeling that the man behind the counter was hiding something from him. It was his small gestures that set Rocket off, the way he would nervously flick at his ear or repeatedly scratch his elbow. He seemed on edge.

Rocket's ears perked up at the sound of the door jingling open. The man behind the counter stopped mid-sentence about how extraordinary Peter's tale sounded. His attention instead turned to the person who had just walked in. Rocket noticed how the man's eyes widened with delight at the entrance for a mere second before fading. His hazel eyes lost their merry glint.

"Ah, Riker. How nice to see you," Fl'mor sighed. The Guardians turned around to spot a man with a black cloak come in. His hood was up but when he walked up to the bar and sat down next to Rocket, he took his hood off to reveal a young man probably in his late teens or early twenties. His spiked black hair faded into orange at the base of his skull. His round face shone with disappointment as he looked at the Guardians. His orange eyes stopped on the figure sitting next to him. Rocket sneered at his starring. The boy switched his gaze to Fl'mor.

"Hello, sir. It's nice to see you as well," Riker reached inside his pockets, revealing a dirty orange shirt with black trousers and even dirtier black boots. He pulled out his fist and set a few golden coins onto the counter, the action causing the orange-ringed Spirit Net to bounce on his chest. "I'll have the usual, please." Fl'mor nodded and turned his back to the costumers as he filled up a drink with a clear liquid from a green bottle. Rocket could smell the scent of peaches radiate from the kid.

"Great," He grumbled, "now everything smells like damn peaches."

"I am Groot," Groot whispered.

The raccoon looked up at the Flora Colossus, "So what if it smells nice? You haven't been smeeling it as strongly as I have."

Fl'mor turned back around and set the glass in front of the kid. "Have you had any luck?" Fl'mor asked Riker.

Rocket looked over at the other Guardians who became just as interested and leaned forward just a bit to hear the conversation. Riker looked at Fl'mor in the eyes before casting them down, shaking his head in the process. Fl'mor sighed deeply.

"Um.. What's going on here, Fl'mor?" The group turned their heads to Peter, the man's features showed confusion as well as frustration. "First, Night gets all jumpy; then, you and this kid look like you've lost the gem from _Temple of Doom!_" He ignored the strange looks he got, "What is going on here? I don't remember Somnium being so uptight." He leaned forward more and emphasized his words, _"__What is going on?"_

_Damn._ Rocket thought._He's sure persistent._ He looked over at the two Somniums and wasn't surprised when he saw the look of rage on Riker's face._Probably 'cause Quill called him "kid". _Rocket didn't blame him. He sure as hell got pissed whenever someone called him rodent or monster. He clutched his glass tighter at the thought.

Fl'mor sighed, this time sounding tired and worn out. This made him seem centuries older. Rocket wondered just how old the man was. Fl'mor looked each of them in the eyes before landing on Peter's. "Riker is looking for Reigan," He explained.

Peter's brow furrowed in confusion. "Reigan?" His eyes widened in understanding, "The Asher's girl?" Fl'mor nodded. "Why? Has she gotten into more trouble?" He joked, eyes flicking from Fl'mor to Riker's.

"No, I'm afraid Reigan has gone missing," Fl'mor sighed again.

"Missing?" The concern in Peter's voice made Rocket even more interested in what was going on, "What do you mean? How long has she been missing?"

"About a week," Riker said, taking a sip of his drink. "I last saw her on Friday. I've been looking for her for eight days."

Fl'mor cleared his throat, "Maybe you should let the police handle this-"

"Why?" Riker grunted. "So they can lock her up and blame her for what she didn't do?!" His shout made the other inhabitants look their way, "No thanks! I'll find her myself." He got off his stool and stalked out the door, slamming it on his way out.

Fl'mor looked at the onlookers, "Well? Get on with it!" They returned to their conversation and drinks. The old man looked back at the closed door, "He is in so deep that he doesn't see what is in front of him." Rocket's brow quirked up at this accusation.

"What is he so deep in? He was not standing in anything," Rocket sighed at Drax's comment.

"He means the kid's in love with this Reigan girl," The smaller companion explained before turning to Fl'mor. "What's he mean? What's the police blaming her for?"

"They think she has something to do with the murder of her parents," He wiped down the area of the counter where Riker was sitting.

"Woah! Wait a minute!" A look of confusion was plastered on Peter's face. "Regald and Erin Asher are _dead_?" Fl'mor nodded. "Regald and Erin Asher? The same Regald and Erin that helped me find Yondu when I was twenty-one and drunk?"

The Somnium placed the glass onto the bar and leaned against the surface, "Unfortunately, yes, it is the same Regald and Erin. The mayor thinks that Reigan had something to do with it-"

"The Mayor?" Peter interjected, "The old fat guy that looked like Santa Claus?"

"Unfortunately, Mayor Admor died two years ago. We have a new mayor now and a new Chief specially picked by the mayor," Fl'mor explained. "You could say that the mayor has…. _favorites_ when it comes to the authorities."

Peter nodded, "I was wondering why Night was still a Captain."

"Why does he think Reigan has something to do with it?" Gamora questioned.

"Because," The old man wiped the glass Riker was using. "Reigan has a record that the mayor is especially nervous about."

Peter snorted. "Reigan? Have a record? The only thing she did was blow up a freakin' fountain! Which was an accident. And partially my fault. So what, you can't accidentally set something aflame without getting a label on your head for life?"

Fl'mor leaned onto the bar and looked deep into Peter's eye, "There was more to Reigan than we had anticipated, Peter Quill." Fl'mor's aura turned dark. He gave off a mysterious vibe, causing his eyes to flicker darkly, "For instance, she was involved with Dark Elder Magic**_._**"

"Well that doesn't sound good," Rocket commented as the tension in the air shifted. _Even though this is getting more interesting._

"What is this Dark Elder Magic?" Drax inquired.

"Something that should not be discussed out in the open," The Guardians jumped as the new voice joined their conversation. They turned around and saw that the younger officer from earlier was standing in the doorway. The man in blue approached the bar. "Fl'mor," He bowed his head respectfully.

Fl'mor did the same, "Officer Drez." Drez turned his attention to the company.

"I have been asked to retrieve the Guardians for a conference." The Guardians exchanged a look of curiosity before getting off their stools. "If you will please follow me." He said then gestured to Fl'mor, "Good day, Fl'mor."

"And you, Officer."

Peter looked over his shoulder, "Guess we'll see you later, buddy!" The Guardians said their goodbyes then headed out the door with Drez in the lead.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Rocket grumbled.

**Author's Note: And scene! I know this wasn't the longest of chapters but I figured I had better start slow and update one little chapter at a time. Again, I will try to update at least once or twice a month! I will go over all the other chapters in this and other stories and see if I need to change anything up. But again, I will try my best. I have other story ideas that I have been working on and now the trick is to actually start and finish them! ^-^ Until next time! ~ K-Zittles**


End file.
